There's plenty going on in town, but Sunday June 24th is special. Come see the result of hard work, research, and collaboration between various Walnut Hills institutions and discuss the importance of the historic black-owned businesses in Walnut Hills.
"Change is coming to Lincoln and Gilbert, though, and Johnson wants Walnut Hills neighbors to know more about their past in order to spark discussions about their future. The redevelopment foundation bought property at the intersection last fall to make way for residences and retail. Some structures have already been razed, but a crumbling cinder block building has been left standing in hopes of filling its half-dozen storefronts again.
'We could have just slapped up a mural, made the building look pretty,' says Creekmore, founder of Eye Candy creative agency in Over-the-Rhine. Instead, she and partner Neal embraced the site’s grittiness and let the historical ads guide their typography-driven design and decision to use paper and paste. 'I love the way the art looks because it’s not perfect,' Creekmore says. She walks past silhouettes of a chandelier, apothecary vials, vegetables and bouquets to her favorite section of the block-long installation. It reads: 'When royalty came to town, they used to stay at the Manse Hotel.' The tribute to the black-owned lodging at 1008 Chapel St. ripples over uneven layers of plywood, siding and concrete in a retro typeface that alternates between block letters and cursive. The presentation is elegant and proud, yet something not quite right nags at the viewer." - excerpt from this CityBeat article from Jun 12, 2018